Gas turbine engines operate to produce mechanical work or thrust. More specifically, land-based gas turbine engines typically have a generator coupled thereto for the purposes of generating electricity through the mechanical work produced by the gas turbine engine. A gas turbine engine comprises an inlet that directs air to a compressor section, which has stages of rotating compressor blades. As the air passes through the subsequent stages of the compressor, the pressure of the air increases. The compressed air is then directed into one or more combustors where fuel is injected into the compressed air and the mixture is ignited to form hot combustion gases. The hot combustion gases are then directed from the combustion section to a turbine section. As the hot combustion gases pass through the stages of the turbine, the heated gas causes the stages of turbine blades to rotate, which in turn, causes the compressor to rotate.
The air from the inlet is directed through a compressor section, with the compressor having a plurality of alternating axial stages of rotating blades and stationary vanes. As the air travels through the compressor, its pressure increases as well as its temperature. An axial stage of compressor vanes and mounting hardware forms a compressor diaphragm that is secured to the engine and directs the flow of air onto the compressor blades. These type of compressor diaphragms are typically broken into segments. The compressor diaphragms are typically broken into segments, but due to the thermal and aerodynamic loading on these segments, there is a tendency for the compressor diaphragm segments to move and/or rotate, causing wear to the compressor diaphragm segments and the case in which they are housed.